CPSC 430 (Actual) Exam Graded A+
Mr. Robot: character talks to her Amazon Alexa because she's lonely/depressed. She
asks things like "Alexa, what colour are your eyes" and it responds with lame pre-
programmed jokes
10.2. Give an example of how information technology has influenced the way
manufacturing and service companies (a) organize themselves, (b) create products, and
(c) interact with other companies. - ANSWER-*Organizational changes:* flattens
organizational structures because technologies allow any member of any organization
to contact any other member with minimal effort and cost
*Creation of products:* Just-in-time" production: flexible information flow allows new
distribution methods to reduce inventory costs
*Interactions with other companies:* eliminates transactional middlemen through
supply-chain automation (e.g. computer at company A now automatically orders widgets
from company B)
10.3 Define the term "globalization". Give an example of how advances in information
technology have
stimulated globalization. - ANSWER-*Globalization:* process of creating a worldwide
network of businesses and markets
*Stimulated* by technologies that make worldwide communication easy and low-cost
10.4. What is "the digital divide"? Name and describe the two fundamentally different
dimensions of the digital divide. - ANSWER-*Digital divide:* the situation in which some
people have access to modern information technology while others do not - people
without access to this tech have less opportunities
*Two different dimensions of it:*
- *Global divide:* disparity of internet access between industrialized and less
industrialized nations
- *Social divide:* difference in access between the rich and poor within a particular
country
10.5. 2 reasons why it may not be helpful to be concerned about the "digital divide"
between rich and poor countries. - ANSWER-- Implies that everyone is either a "have"
or a "have not", when in reality access is a continuum
(e.g. a person having access to internet but on a 56k modem)
- Implies that a lack of access will lead to a less advantaged position in society
(i.e. false causality, the relationship actually works the other way: less advantaged →
less access)
, 10.6. Why is the winner-take-all phenomenon more likely to occur in the case of law
schools than in the case of restaurants? That is, why do a few top law schools in the
country to get almost all of the rewards/prestige/etc., when this is not the situation with
the top few restaurants in the country? - ANSWER-There is no clear "winner" in regards
to restaurants, as people's tastes and budgets vary immensely and people generally like
to visit a variety of restaurants. Law schools, however, gain more rewards/prestige
depending on their history, the donations they receive, the more distinguished
professors they can attract, etc, and once the reputation is made, they will continue to
rise in popularity.
10.7. What is "telework"? List two benefits and two drawbacks. - ANSWER-Telework:
an arrangement where employees spend a significant portion of their workday at a
distance from the employer or their place of work (e.g. working from home)
*Benefits:*
- Improves morale: gives freedom to work around personal schedule
- Saves overhead: company can invest less resources on its office space
*Drawbacks:*
- Difficult to schedule team meetings: employees may not have the same hours
- Isolation: difficult or impractical to bounce ideas off of coworkers
2 differences between cyberbullying and traditional bullying - ANSWER-- bullying can
follow victims everywhere, into their homes
- bullies can hide behind anonymity of the web
- effects can be permanent (i.e. damaging photos hard to take down)
2 modern information technology devices and how they may be used to decrease
privacy - ANSWER-Cell phone: location services turned on means your location can be
tracked, turning on option for voice assistant to wait to be called means your phone is
always listening to you
Laptop: front-facing webcam can be used with spyware to watch you without your
knowledge, spyware that is installed in all laptops can also be used to track your activity
on your laptop
2 reasons cultural relativism is unworkable ethical theory - ANSWER-- Does not support
universal moral rules or reason, suggesting that only a culture's traditions and beliefs
create moral rules
- Cannot be used to persuade anyone of the validity of a rule or action: evaluation of the
same problem in one culture could be meaningless in another
3 Benefits of Privacy - ANSWER-1. Development of loving, trusting, caring, intimate
relationships - inconceivable without the "moral capital" of privacy
Mr. Robot: character talks to her Amazon Alexa because she's lonely/depressed. She
asks things like "Alexa, what colour are your eyes" and it responds with lame pre-
programmed jokes
10.2. Give an example of how information technology has influenced the way
manufacturing and service companies (a) organize themselves, (b) create products, and
(c) interact with other companies. - ANSWER-*Organizational changes:* flattens
organizational structures because technologies allow any member of any organization
to contact any other member with minimal effort and cost
*Creation of products:* Just-in-time" production: flexible information flow allows new
distribution methods to reduce inventory costs
*Interactions with other companies:* eliminates transactional middlemen through
supply-chain automation (e.g. computer at company A now automatically orders widgets
from company B)
10.3 Define the term "globalization". Give an example of how advances in information
technology have
stimulated globalization. - ANSWER-*Globalization:* process of creating a worldwide
network of businesses and markets
*Stimulated* by technologies that make worldwide communication easy and low-cost
10.4. What is "the digital divide"? Name and describe the two fundamentally different
dimensions of the digital divide. - ANSWER-*Digital divide:* the situation in which some
people have access to modern information technology while others do not - people
without access to this tech have less opportunities
*Two different dimensions of it:*
- *Global divide:* disparity of internet access between industrialized and less
industrialized nations
- *Social divide:* difference in access between the rich and poor within a particular
country
10.5. 2 reasons why it may not be helpful to be concerned about the "digital divide"
between rich and poor countries. - ANSWER-- Implies that everyone is either a "have"
or a "have not", when in reality access is a continuum
(e.g. a person having access to internet but on a 56k modem)
- Implies that a lack of access will lead to a less advantaged position in society
(i.e. false causality, the relationship actually works the other way: less advantaged →
less access)
, 10.6. Why is the winner-take-all phenomenon more likely to occur in the case of law
schools than in the case of restaurants? That is, why do a few top law schools in the
country to get almost all of the rewards/prestige/etc., when this is not the situation with
the top few restaurants in the country? - ANSWER-There is no clear "winner" in regards
to restaurants, as people's tastes and budgets vary immensely and people generally like
to visit a variety of restaurants. Law schools, however, gain more rewards/prestige
depending on their history, the donations they receive, the more distinguished
professors they can attract, etc, and once the reputation is made, they will continue to
rise in popularity.
10.7. What is "telework"? List two benefits and two drawbacks. - ANSWER-Telework:
an arrangement where employees spend a significant portion of their workday at a
distance from the employer or their place of work (e.g. working from home)
*Benefits:*
- Improves morale: gives freedom to work around personal schedule
- Saves overhead: company can invest less resources on its office space
*Drawbacks:*
- Difficult to schedule team meetings: employees may not have the same hours
- Isolation: difficult or impractical to bounce ideas off of coworkers
2 differences between cyberbullying and traditional bullying - ANSWER-- bullying can
follow victims everywhere, into their homes
- bullies can hide behind anonymity of the web
- effects can be permanent (i.e. damaging photos hard to take down)
2 modern information technology devices and how they may be used to decrease
privacy - ANSWER-Cell phone: location services turned on means your location can be
tracked, turning on option for voice assistant to wait to be called means your phone is
always listening to you
Laptop: front-facing webcam can be used with spyware to watch you without your
knowledge, spyware that is installed in all laptops can also be used to track your activity
on your laptop
2 reasons cultural relativism is unworkable ethical theory - ANSWER-- Does not support
universal moral rules or reason, suggesting that only a culture's traditions and beliefs
create moral rules
- Cannot be used to persuade anyone of the validity of a rule or action: evaluation of the
same problem in one culture could be meaningless in another
3 Benefits of Privacy - ANSWER-1. Development of loving, trusting, caring, intimate
relationships - inconceivable without the "moral capital" of privacy
